Soon Never Came
by strent23
Summary: In this story, Lee and Amanda are seeing each other outside of work. They have been doing so for a few months, ever since the incident in Over the Limit.


**While out at a restaurant, Amanda sees Leslie.**

 **Restaurant: Somewhere in Washington, DC**

Amanda noticed her the moment she walked in. Amanda was seated in the booth at a restaurant, someplace different from their usual haunts; where Lee used to go to before. Lee claimed this restaurant had the best seafood he'd ever tasted, even compared to some of the places he'd frequented overseas. Lee stepped away to make a phone call, a follow-up conversation with one of his 'family'. Amanda just returned from the lady's room when Leslie, along with several other women stepped into the restaurant. Although Amanda had only seen her once, she was certain there was no mistaking that it was Leslie with her long brown hair, her beautiful smile and that graceful walk. To Amanda's knowledge, Leslie was the last person that Lee was involved with romantically before they began seeing one another more regularly. They weren't officially dating or anything, but they certainly did spend a lot of time together outside of work.

She remembered how unhappy she was with Lee that day when he'd nonchalantly, and so Lee like, asked her where she'd gotten the dress she'd worn at the embassy party that time. And how, after telling her how good he thought she looked in the dress, that he wanted to buy one like it for another woman. Just the thought of that conversation still got her upset. _The nerve that he complimented her, then asked her where she purchased the dress so that he could get it for another woman? Seriously! Who does that? Especially, when things between them were just becoming a little more serious? Or so she_ _thought._

It was funny, she never would've thought of herself as being the jealous type, but that certainly changed since Lee became a part of her life, even before they started dating the mere mention of one of his lady friends would set her off. At first, she thought she was only imagining it, that she wasn't jealous. She thought that perhaps Lee's jealousy was rubbing off on her. They couldn't go out on an assignment without Lee getting upset when a male counterpart talked to her, even though he told her to mingle.

 _Then her relationship with Lee became stronger, from a great working relationship as partners to friends and_ _lastly, lastly as what, as the love of your life? Amanda, be careful there!_ Amanda said to herself. She knew that she was indeed jealous.That was now a few months ago and she never heard Leslie's name again, after that night. But she still became upset, when she thought about that night like she was becoming now. Ever since that night, she and Lee had been out several times a week, excluding case nights of course. And, Lee never mentioned plans with anyone else. _So, she must be acting_ _ridiculous and silly!_

Yet, here just a few feet from her was Leslie, someone Lee used to see. _Just how many women from his past will they see as they go out? And, what if, he decides he wants to see one of them again?_ _After all, like Francine is always saying, you are only a housewife from Arlington._

Leslie and her friends were waiting for a table when she looked over and saw him the moment he stood up and headed towards the back of the restaurant. _Damn it, could it be possible that he was even more handsome than ever? Funny, how after that day in his apartment, she never saw him again._ They'd even made plans to go to the Soviet Embassy but Lee phoned her the night before and cancelled on her, saying that something more pressing had come up and that he'd call her soon. _I guess soon never came._ She thought to herself.

She'd hoped there might still be a chance for her and Lee to get to know one another. After all, she'd heard quite a bit about his reputation and she wondered how much of it was true. She was quite disappointed. For all the talk of his sexy ways, they never even shared a kiss. Sure they'd gone out, nearly every day that week and they shared, what she thought was some great chemistry and flirtation, but the most that happened at the end of the night was a peck on the cheek and a hug. And the one night she thought they were finally going to kiss, Lee's phone rang and then he left to take care of some business, or so he said.

She and her friends were still waiting for a table when Lee returned to his table. _Maybe there was still a chance, for him and her yet._ Leslie thought to herself as she stepped forward to walk over and say hello, when she saw Lee's hand stretched out across the table, covering someone's hand. _Whose hand was he holding? His secretary's, Amanda? Yeah, that's right. Well, that was it!_ _That explained a lot._ Now that she remembered it, he'd been especially out of sorts when they arrived and found her there. And he did call her Amanda, something she'd simply brushed off. But, apparently, there was more to their relationship than what met the naked eye. "Leslie, are you coming?" Her friend Joan asked as she lightly touched Leslie's arm. "Our table is ready."

 _Looks like soon never did come, at least not for me._ Leslie thought to herself as she turned to her friend, "Yes, I'm coming."

Amanda appeared lost in thought when Lee returned to the table. He reached out and touched her hand, his eyes focused there until he saw Amanda turn her eyes towards the front of the restaurant. He'd only caught the back of the woman's head; with the long, brown hair that could've been any number of women, but she did look vaguely familiar. The woman turned the corner and Lee could make out her profile, there was no mistaking that the woman was Leslie.

He opened his mouth to say something to Amanda about a penny for her thoughts, but before he could, their food arrived. Although she didn't seem completely there, the food and the conversation had been pleasant enough, but most things with Amanda were more than pleasant. Yet as the evening wore on, Amanda seemed more and more preoccupied.

Lee asked Amanda several times at the restaurant what was wrong and her only reply was, " _I'm fine._ " _Should I just take her home?_ He wondered but decided to take her to his place anyway. Perhaps by the time they got to his apartment, she would be back to her normal bubbly self.

 **Lee's Apartment**

The ride to his apartment garnered him more of the same, quiet and not herself.

Ironically enough, she seemed fine at the restaurant, at least up until he went to make his call. _What happened between the time he left and came back is what he wanted to know?_

Amanda was very observant; perhaps the retreating figure he'd seen in the restaurant was in fact, Leslie. Lee placed his wine on the table and turned towards Amanda; taking her hands in his. They were now seated on his sofa, listening to soft music and feasting on crackers and sipping wine, but Amanda's mind was most definitely somewhere else.

"Amanda, about Leslie…" Lee began, but then stopped.

"Yes, Lee?"

"I never explained to you about her and me and umm, that week and umm, that night we were supposed to go to the embassy party, did I?"

"No, Lee, you didn't," Amanda replied matter-of-factly.

"Well, you see, Amanda," Lee began.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain."

"No, I feel that I do need to," Lee said.

"The truth about that week is that yes, Leslie and I did go out that week and we started to well kiss at my apartment, but I didn't get any further than that near kiss. It's not because she wasn't willing," Lee rushed on at the look in Amanda's eyes. "It was because my heart wasn't into it. I just kept thinking of you. I even called her Amanda after you left."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you this now because you seemed pretty upset when I came back to the table. And the only thing I could think that happened, was that you saw Leslie and well…her presence soured the mood."

Amanda was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Amanda? Can you tell me now, what you were so upset about?" He asked her as he stared into her soulful and sad eyes.

"I suppose seeing her in the restaurant reminded me that there have been other women before me," Amanda said quietly.

"Well, Joe and Dean were before me," Lee said with a short laugh, as he tried to lighten her mood.

"Yeah, and they were just about the only ones before you buster!" Amanda corrected him.

"Just about?" Lee asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"What I want to know is will we always run into some woman, some woman that you used to know when we go out?" Amanda asked, ignoring Lee's question. There was a pause before Amanda continued. "I never thought of myself as the jealous type, but Lee, when it comes to you, I must admit that I am," Amanda said honestly.

"Amanda, I am jealous too, when it to comes to you that is. And you want to know something?"

Lee leaned in towards Amanda and said very quietly. "I have been for quite some time, even when I acted as though I didn't like you very much."

"Really?" Amanda questioned.

"Yeah, really!" Lee replied with the same seriousness then smiled and revealed his dimples. "But you know what? You don't have anything to be jealous of Amanda, because you are the only woman that I think about. I've never been jealous before, so that's saying something." Lee grasped Amanda's hands more tightly in his fingers.

"Well, Lee, you don't have anything to be jealous of either."

"Amanda, I can't promise you that we won't run into anyone that I once knew, but I can promise you one thing."

"And what is that?"

"That my focus will be on you and not on that person from my past."

"Oh, Lee!"

Lee leaned in and kissed Amanda, ever so gently yet passionately at the same time.

The kiss ended a few minutes later, yet they remained in one another's arms as they enjoyed some soft talk, wine and lots of cuddling.


End file.
